Ignatius of Loyola Quotes

Love ought to show itself in deeds more than in words.

Among the many signs of a lively faith and hope we have in eternal life, one of the surest is not being overly sad at the death of those whom we dearly love in our Lord.

God inclines to shower His graces upon us, but our perverted will is a barrier to His generosity.

If our church is not marked by caring for the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, we are guilty of heresy.

Idleness is hells fishhook for catching souls.

Let your modesty be a sufficient incitement, yea, an exhortation to everyone to be at peace on their merely looking at you.

To have prevented one single sin is reward enough for the labors and efforts of a whole lifetime.

If one fears men much he will never do anything great for God: all that one does for God arouses persecution.

The more completely we focus our attention on our Creator and Lord, the less chance there is of our being distracted by creatures.

He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself, or he loses his labor.

Receive, Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will.

Truth always ends by victory; it is not unassailable, but invincible.

Just as the commander of an army pitches his camp, studies the strength and defenses of a fortress, and then attacks it on its weakest side, in like manner, the enemy of our human nature studies from all sides our theological, cardinal, and moral virtues. Wherever he finds us weakest and most in need regarding our eternal salvation, he attacks and tries to take us by storm.

He who carries God in his heart bears Heaven with him wherever he goes.

So with that will prompt and prepared to serve all those whom I perceive to be servants of my Lord, I will speak of three things with simplicity and love as if I were speaking to my own soul.

We must speak to God as a friend speaks to his friend, servant to his master; now asking some favor, now acknowledging our faults, and communicating to Him all that concerns us, our thoughts, our fears, our projects, our desires, and in all things seeking His counsel.

As for joy, as little as one can have of it in this life, experience shows that it is not the idle who possess it, but those who are zealous in the service of God.

The enemy is like a woman, weak in face of opposition, but correspondingly strong when not opposed. In a quarrel with a man, it is natural for a woman to lose heart and run away when he faces up to her; on the other hand, if the man begins to be afraid and to give ground, her rage, vindictiveness and fury overflow and know no limit.

Concerning the harsh treatment of the body for our Lord's sake, I would say, avoid anything that would cause the shedding even of a drop of blood.

If you attach your heart to certain places and occupations, obedience oftentimes places you in some other place that you may not like; to be always cheerful, be always humble and obedient.

Considering that the blessed life we so long for consists in an intimate and true love of God Our Creator and Lord, which binds and obliges us all to a sincere love.

If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He certainly intends to make you a saint.

God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever. God's purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in heaven.

To withdraw from creatures and repose with Jesus in the Tabernacle is my delight; there I can hide myself and seek rest. There I find a life which I cannot describe, a joy which I cannot make others comprehend, a peace such as is found only under the hospitable roof of our best Friend.

The safest and most suitable form of penance seems to be that which causes pain in the flesh but does not penetrate to the bones, that is, which causes suffering but not sickness.

If anyone asks you for something that you believe would be injurious to him, refuse, but in such a manner as not to lose his good-will.

It is proper to ask for sorrow with Christ in sorrow, anguish with Christ in anguish, tears and deep grief because of the great affliction Christ endures for me.

Stand firm and immovable as an anvil when it is beaten upon.

Pardon me, O perfections of my God, for having preferred imperfect and evil inclinations to Thee! Pardon me, O justice of my God, for having outraged Thee by my sins. Pardon me, O holiness of my God, for having so long stained Thy sight's purity by my sins. Pardon me, O mercy of my God, for having despised so long Thy mercy's voice. In deep sorrow and contrition, I cast myself at Thy feet: Have mercy on me.

... we ought even to hold as a fixed principle that what I see white I believe to be black, if the superior authorities define it to be so.

The glory of God is humankind fully alive.

We must put aside all judgment of our own, and keep the mind ever ready and prompt to obey in all things the true Spouse of Christ our Lord, our holy Mother, the hierarchical Church.

If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of great holiness which He desires you to attain. Do you want to become a great saint? Ask God to send you many sufferings. The flame of Divine Love never rises higher than when fed with the wood of the Cross, which the infinite charity of the Savior used to finish His sacrifice. All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ. That is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ.

Occupy yourself in beholding and bewailing your own imperfections rather than contemplating the imperfections of others.

For those who love, nothing is too difficult, especially when it is done for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is one thing to be eloquent and charming in profane speech, and another when the one speaking as a religious.

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost.

The acknowledgment of and gratitude for favors and gifts received is loved and esteemed in Heaven and on earth.

He who is not getting better is getting worse.

God gives each one of us sufficient grace ever to know His holy will, and to do it fully.

Finding God in All Things.

Spiritual infirmities such as tepidity are caused, not only by chills but also by fevers, that is, by excessive zeal.

For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who disbelieve, no amount of proof is sufficient.

He who has heard the Word of God can bear his silences.

In the case of those who are making progress from good to better, the good angel touches the soul gently, lightly, sweetly, as a drop of water enters a sponge, while the evil spirit touches it sharply, with noise and disturbance, like a drop of water falling on a rock.

But some most worthless persons are in the habit of carrying about the name of Jesus Christ in wicked guile, while yet they practice things unworthy of God, and hold opinions contrary to the doctrine of Christ, to their own destruction, and that of those who give credit to them, whom you must avoid as ye would wild beasts.

One must wage war against his predominant passion and not retreat until, with God's help, he has been victorious.

Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone, but with heartfelt conviction that we are doing nothing, and God everything.